Sheet metal roofing panel



Dec. 8., 1970 EASTHAM ETAL 3,545,147

' SHEET METAL ROOFING PANEL Filed July 25, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2'a; 24x f a; V9

g FIG. 4

IN V/LN'IURS RAY EASTHAM IRVIN E. GOERTZER ATTORNEY Dec. 8, 1970 R.EASTHAM ETAL 3,545,147

. SHEET METAL ROOFING PANEL I Filed July 25, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.8

BY E 7 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,545,147 SHEET METAL ROOFING PANELRay Eastham and Irvin E. Goertzer, Halstead, Kans., assignors to WinbroIncorporated, Michigan City, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed July25, 1968, Ser. No. 747,705 Int. Cl. B61d 17/12; E04d 1/36 U.S. CI. 52-96Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Sheet metal roofing material formobile homes, trailers and similar shaped structures in which the sheetmetal is preformed and is provided with angularly extending flangesalong each side for folding over the upper edge of the side walls of thestructure to which it is to be applied. The flanges are formed at suchan angle, relative to the plane of the center portion of the material,that the material can readily be rolled into a coil for shipping andhandling.

In the trailer and mobile home industry, large panels of material areused to form roofs, and these panels are normally fabricated from stripsof sheet metal two or three feet in width, joined together along theirlateral edges by water tight joints. The panel material, which isshipped in rolls, is furnished to the builder in the desired width tocover the vehicle top and to extend downwardly a few inches over theupper margin of the side walls, and

is cut into the lengths required to extend continuouslyfrom one end ofthe vehicle to the other. Difiiculty has been experienced in the past inbending or folding the lateral edges of a panel downwardly along thesides after the material has been laid onto the vehicle top, thedifficulty partially being caused by the multiple layer structure at thejoints and by lack of any uniform and firm support along the line onwhich the material is creased. Thus, the crease is often irregular andwithout a distinct line at the bend from one end of the vehicle to theother. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the invention toprovide a roofing panel material which is fabricated to provide a breakalong the edges of the material so that a distinct line forms where thepanel material is folded downwardly over the upper marginal edge of theside walls, and which can readily be reformed during installation to thecontour of the vehicle roof structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a roofing panelmaterial composed of a series of sections joined together by joints ofoverlapping material, a structure which facilitates installation of thepanel on the vehicle with the lateral edges folded downwardly along thesides thereof, and which can readily be formed in the panel materialduring the fabricating operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a panel material ofthe aforesaid type containing the structure for forming the downwardfolding margin, which can readily be coiled into an easily handled rolland which can thereafter be applied to the vehicle structure usingstandard equipment and tools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roofing materialhaving sections joined together by multiple thickness joints, which caneffectively be folded along lines transverse to the joints withoutdamaging the joints or causing any appreciable irregularities in theline on which the crease is made, and which can quickly be installedwith attractive marginal edges extending the length of the vehicle onopposite sides thereof.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of ice a mobile homeshowing the present roofing structure secured thereto;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in FIG. 1 with the roofingstructure partially applied to the vehicle body;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the present roofing structure before it isapplied to the vehicle body;

FIG. 4 is an edge view of the roofing panel structure shown in FIGS. 2and 3 before it is secured to the support structure for the roof whilein the final fabricated condition;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the roofing panel;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary edge view of the roofing portion shown in FIG.5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the joint used to secure the sections ofthe panel together, the section of FIG. 7 being taken on line 7-7 ofFIG. 5 and FIG. 8 is a drawing of the machine elements used in theformation of a portion of the roofing panel.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral 10 indicatesgenerally a mobile home structure having side and end walls 12 and 14and a roofing structure on which the present roofing panel material 16has been applied. For the purpose of the present invention, the mobilehome structure may be considered conventional, with sheet metal materialcovering the side and end walls, over which the marginal edges orflanges 18 and 20 of the roofing panel extend.

The roofing panel material is of the fabricated type consisting of aplurality of sections 22 positioned transversely on the top of thevehicle. The sections are joined together along their edges by a joint24, and consist of standard sheet metal, preferably of 28 or 30 inchwidths of 12 to 20 gauge material, the width and gauge being varied fromone panel to another depending upon the intended use to which the panelwill be put. The sheet metal is normally of the standard galvanizedmaterial delivered in relatively large rolls from which sections of thedesired length to produce the required width of the panel are severed.

The present joint 24 employed to secure sections 22 together in themanner illustrated in the drawings consists of flanges 30 and 32 turnedin a substantially U-shaped form to cover the adjacent edges of therespective sections. The inner edges of the two sections are placedsideby-side, preferably substantially together, and a slip-cap 34 havinga back 36 and two inwardly extending flanges 38 and 40 is slippedlongitudinally along flanges 30 and 32 with flanges 38 and 40 beingpositioned between the flanges on the panel section and the main bodyportion of the panel. The slip-cap 34 with sealing strip 42 on theinternal side of back 36, is assembled in place with flanges 38 and 40interlocking with flanges 30' and 32, respectively, and the joint isrolled or otherwise pressed to deform the flanges, i.e. bending the twoflanges together against the respective portions of the panel sectionsand slip-cap. This results in the structure shown in FIG. 7 with theflanges firmly interlocking one another and the slip-cap securelyholding the two panels together. When the joint has been formed in themanner shown in FIG. 7, the two panel sections are rigidly held togetherand prevented from slipping or otherwise moving, either longitudinallyor transversely in the joint, relative to one another. During thedeforming operation, the sealing strip 42 is extruded outwardly throughthe small space 44 between the panel sections and also laterally on theinternal surface of back 36 of cap 34. When the panel 16 has beenformed, it is a continuous length consisting of the parallelside-by-side sections connected by the joints 24, and the material isrolled continuously into a coil which can be conveniently handled andshipped.

During the formation of the roofing material in the foregoing manner andafter the joints have been fully formed, the lateral edges of the sheetmaterial are bent downwardly at crease 50, forming creases 50 and 52 andflanges 54 and 56. The flanges may be at various angular positions;however, a distinct bend or crease at 50 is preferably formed in thesheet material and across the joints. In view of the structure of thejoints, previously described herein, the creasing'and folding of thesheet material to form the flanges 54 and 56 do not distort or deformthe joints in any way which would cause leakage or other failure.

The manner in which flanges 54 and 56 and the respective creases 50 and52 may be formed is illustrated in FIG. 8. In this arrangement, thesheet material, including sections 22 and the interconnecting joints 24,is supported on a conveyor structure 60 having rollers 62 thereonengaged by the underside of the sheet material. The edges of the sheetmaterial project laterally and pass between a pair of operating rollers64 and 66 mounted on shafts 68 and 70. The rollers are supported by amechanism 72 having a pivoted arm 74 for roller 64 and shaft 68 and arigid arm 76 for roller 66 and shaft 70. Arm 74 is pivoted on pin 78 andis urged in the direction to cause the roller to move toward the otherroller by a coil spring 82 reacting between the outer ends of members 74and 76. The two rollers have cylindrical portions 84 and 86 and conicalportions 88 and 90, respectively. As the material passes between therollers, the conical portions deflect the edge of the sheet material toform flange 54 on one side and flange 56 on the other side of thematerial. In order to permit the thicker material at the joints to passbetween the rollers,'the arm 74 is pivoted on the pin 78 and the tworollers are yieldably held in clamping relationship by the spring 82.Another set of identical rollers and supports therefor is also employedon the opposite side of the sheet material.

After the material has been formed in the foregoing manner, it is coiledand shipped to the mobile home manufacturer. The material is thenuncoiled and laid onto the roof structure of a mobile home with flanges54 and 56 extending downwardly over the sides of the mobile home andwith creases 50 and 52 parallel to and in the proximity of the joint ofjuncture between the roof and side structures. Since the fabricatedsheet material is rolled into a coil for shipping and handling, theflanges should not be bent from the plane of the center portion 96 morethan about 45 When the material has been placed on top of the roofstructure in the foregoing manner, the sides of the flanges are bentdownwardly firmly against the upper edge of the side structure,overlapping the metal siding material, and are secured in place byscrews, nails, or other suitable securing means.

The crease along each side facilitates proper locating of the roofingmaterial on the supporting structure, thus reducing the installationtime and providingbetter conformity of the material to the supportthroughout the length of the roof. The flanges can easily be pressedinwardly without any tools or equipment, and conveniently held in placewhile they are beingsecured to the side wall.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been described indetail herein, various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Sheet metal roofing material for subsequent installation on mobilehomes, trailers and similarly shaped structures, comprising: a centerportion having a width substantially the same as the width of thestructure to be covered and formed of a plurality of adjacent sections,each extending transversely across said center portion and inside-by-side relation along the length of such center portion;mechanical joints connecting said sections to one another prior toinstallation upon the mobile homes and like structures; and a pre-formedflange joined integrally to and extending along each side outwardly fromthe center portion, along the length thereof, each such flange extendingat an acute angle in the same direction from the plane of the centerportion of the material.

2. Sheet metal roofing material as defined in claim 1 in which saidpre-formed flanges alongthe sides of said center portion compriseintegral extensions of said sections which are deformed with respectthereto.

3. Sheet metal roofing material as defined in claim 2 in which saidsections have a distinct crease marking the juncture of said centerportion and said integral flange extensions and comprising a line ofdeformation therebetween.

4. Sheet metal roofing material as defined in claim 1 in which saidpre-formed flanges are resiliently bendable with respect to said centerportion, such that the flanged material can be coiled for shipment.

5. Sheet metal roofing material as defined in claim 4, wherein saidjointed sections are successively coiled about one another and define aroll form.

6. A method of manufacturing sheet metal roofing for subsequentinstallation, comprising the steps: arranging a succession of mutuallydistinct sheet metal panels in laterally-adjacent, edge-to-edge relationand securing the same together along their adjacent edges to form aunitary structure; and forming the free unsecured end edges of saidpanels making up said unitary roofing structure generally at the timesuch panels are secured and prior to installation thereof to form offsetflange portions extending at an acute angle with respect to the centralportion of such structure.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, including the step of coiling thesecured and flanged unitary panel structure into a roll, for shipment.

8. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein said free panel edges arebent to form said flange portions.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein said panel edges are bentby passing the same through pressure rollers.

10. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein said free edges of saidpanels are bent to form said flange portions after the attachment of onesuch panel to another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 749,943 1/1904 McEvoy 52528949,838 2/1910 Pearson 5256 2,406,559 8/ 1946 Oakes 5299 3,148,4819/1964 Swann 5256X 3,213,583 10/1965 Winski 52472X 3,428,170 2/1969Nyborg 20660 2,986,193 5'/1961 Howell 52745 ALFRED C. PERHAM, PrimaryExaminer U.S. Cl. X.R.

